Date:         Thu, 14 Mar 1996 09:28:00 -0800 (PST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@gi.com>
Subject:      RE: The last word on Audi (not)


>Although there are still some other opinions, I believe that the
>concensus is that the acceleration problems were attributed
>to "pedal misapplication", note that this occured only on the
>automatic transmission cars. Audi's response was the auto trans
>lockout, that required brakes on to get the transmission out
>of park and into a forward or reverse gear. Once this lockout
>was installed, the problem stopped, cold.  Thanks to the nature
>of our modern society, today all new automatic cars have this lockout
>feature.

The nature of society? Speak for yourself. I don't recall blaming
the car for a mistake the driver made. But I *do* recall getting blamed
for it, when the Fedrl Gummint decreed I had to pay for this trns/brake
interlock on my wife's 1994 Mazda, even tho neither she nor I have
ever done something as silly as hitting the gas when I meant to hit the
brakes.

Oddly enough, I also had to pay for the privelege of having the automatic
seat belts interfere with entry/exit into the car, even though all of us
have ALWAYS worn seat belts. Been doing it so long, it feels strange to
drive without them on. In fact, when I get into that car and the automatic
belt comes on, I feel that I'm now belted in... and sometimes forget to
fasten the lap belt! Yup, that's me being stupid, I admit. But I had this
problem solved until the Gummint "helped" me. I wonder how many others
have been similarly "helped" by this mechanical solution to a non-mechanical
(i.e. human) problem...

...end soapbox mode.

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Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com       '80 V6anagon w/Chevy 2800
                                  '66 Mustang Coupevertible, for sale

Check out the cars at http://www.lookup.com/homepages/76242/home.html

         *** Friends don't let friends vote Democratic! ***
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